Age Discrimination at Work

Ageism is a growing problem in the United States, as more and more individuals are having to work until they reach an older age they may encounter age discrimination at work.
Companies tend to break the law and blatantly discriminate against older employees for many reasons, the most popular given that they are too expensive to have working.

The Problem of Age Discrimination at Work

While recognizing age discrimination is important, and happens to be the first step in the right direction to fight this injustice, there are steps that you should take after you realize that this situation is occurring.

In fact, if you believe that you are a target of this sort of discrimination, which is a serious matter, you could implement the procedures described below. You should follow these suggestions below in order to attempt to oust your employer of this law breaking, and receive the equal treatment that you deserve.

Stand Up Against Age Discrimination at Work

While age discrimination is illegal and there are cases of it all over the country every day, you have to be certain that what is happening is definitely age discrimination and not some other, more legitimate issue. If you feel that you are being targeted, and also have a history of not being a hard worker in the office, then your problems may lie elsewhere, it may not be because of your age.

Keep a Record
When incidents occur in your workplace that make you feel as though you have been clearly discriminated against due to your age, write them down immediately. Record who was involved, what they did or said, the date and time, and who it was directed toward.

If you have recurring incidents, keeping a log of each event after they occur will eliminate the details becoming murky and if you end up having a case will provide you with plentiful evidence against the workplace.

Accumulate Documentation
Get your hands on all the official documentation that consists of new hires and layoffs that have taken place recently in the company. If all the new hires and younger individuals and the layoffs all happen to be older workers, then you have more solid evidence in your case against the company.

Keep Evidence Safe
All of your recorded incidents and documentation that you have been compiling against the company should be kept in a safe place, after all that is your only chance to defend yourself if the company is truly practicing ageism.

Keep all the documentation and other paperwork out of the workplace. Even if you have a drawer or locker at work that can be locked, it is a bad idea to keep any evidence that you have worked hard to obtain, in a place where it could be taken away.

Be On Your Best Behavior
Don't give your employers any excuse to fire you or discipline you especially if you think you are the target of this crime. Follow every order you are given and don't complain about any aspect of the job. If you fear them coming back to you with a bogus charge, then document your work along with everything you were told to do.

Report It!
The best thing you can do at this point is to report this company to the proper authorities. File a report of Age Discrimination to either the Human Resources department, or the governmental branch (EEOC) that deals with these types of claims.

If the worst case scenario plays out, then you could sue the company for discrimination in order to keep your position and potentially get a settlement.

Make Haste
Don't wait to file a claim if you feel that there has been a true form of age discrimination at your workplace. The longer you wait the less effective your case can be. When you come at the opponent with solid and recent evidence it makes the suit that much more effective.

These are just a few things that you can do if you believe you have experienced the injustice of age discrimination in the workplace. Just remember that these are steps that you could take in the beginning stages of this case. If you feel that the case has escalated to the point that you can no longer manage it, you may want to consider hiring a lawyer to help you during this difficult time.